Unity is a cross-platform game engine. You would not normally model within this environment, you can animate using it, however maya is more specialised for it. This workshop was useful to understand the assets management which would be useful also for the Collaborative project since we are going to use models and animation from maya and export them into unity for VR.
I first created a new project
Game tab
Play Mode is one of Unity’s core features. It allows you to run your project directly inside the Editor, via the Play button in the Toolbar.
only one camera in the scene (turning off the main camera)
How to import animated assets into Unity from Maya:
Export the selected model as an fbx files which can contain data such as animations, 3D mashes and materials.
Drag and drop them into the assets folder: in the inspector tab the animation ,if there is any, can be played.
To play it in Game mode – drag and drop the animation property on the object in the hierarchy tab
Model properties in UnityAnimator tab to edit animationsAnimation tab to play the animation on a timeline
When double clicking the animation in the animator tab the window on the left would appear where you can loop the animation and after clicking apply Loop animation are useful in games for continuous action repeated in the background; when clicking on the animation in the animator tab just once the window on the right would appear where you can speed up or slow down or reverse your animation
Create an empty game object and drag and drop the model imported under it: in this way you can scale the model by scaling the game object, the parent, and not affecting the animation properties.
When you have multiple animation properties for the same model if dragging and dropping them on the same object in the outliner they can be played in a sequence.
In unity also complex model an animation can be added with the same process.
An important aspects to take in consideration is that film, animations, follows the director vision so assets are framed and audiences are led to watch them through that frame (objects are being defined relative to the frame (directing audience attention). In games, however, objects are relative to the audience.
This week we looked into combining the MoCap data we collected in week 1 with Human IK rigs on Maya.
In a new Maya scene I imported the first take of the MoCap data which will bring in the skeleton with the movements and actions of the animation recorded in the studio with the mobcap suit that the person wore
In the time editor I have imported the animation of the motion capture as a clip by selecting the hips of the rig. With the time editor you can easily import different motion capture animation clips and combine them together.
Before adding the second clip I had to identify the skeleton in maya as an human IK to attach the rig to the character.
I have created a character definition where I have put every correspondent joint in each part of the rig of the character in the viewport.
Once the pairing is done and each joint turned to green, I have added one rig. If I want it to be bound to the skeleton you need to put the rig we matched and identified before in Maya before as a source for the character in order for it to follow the animation.
I after went back to the time editor to further edit the animation: you can trim the clip, make it move faster or slower just like in a video editor.
You can even add a second animation clip to merge them together as long as they are applied to the same MoCap skeleton we have imported.
In order to match the two animations you can align the animations form the clips using the “matching options” in the Relocator menu. By selecting the initial mobcap skeleton, I used the location of the right foot to be matched with the location of the right foot of the second clip matching the last moment of the location of the first clip to the first moment of the location of the second clip.
This is the outcome:
By grabbing on elf the clips and dragging it on top of the other clip it would merge them seemingly making the transition smoother.
After I have created a new character definition with the same character but with no controls doing the same thing I did with the mobcap skeleton but applying it to a new rig.
the definition of the character works better when there is a typos, so I have aligned the arms of the character.
I after matched the rig of the character rig just like I did for the mobcap rig. I also created a control rig for the IK and if I added the character 1 rig as a source the mobcap animation is going to be applied to this new rig.
I after baked the motion caption onto the rig of the character so that I am not bound anymore to the character 1 skeleton and I was able after to edit the animation from the mobcap in a different layer to adjust it. Baking is a term that is used widely in the 3D community. It is a term that can be applied to many different processes. What it generally means is, freezing and recording the result of a computer process. It is used in everything from animations, to simulations, to texturing 3d models and much more. Baking a simulation allows you to generate a single animation curve for an object whose actions are being provided by simulation rather than by keys and animation curves (keysets).
The controls from the baked animation are now in a new animation layer to be edited to start clean.
On the other hand, in order to identify a rig that is more complicated the process to add the mobcap animation onto it (adding finger animation for instance or facial expressions). In particular this rig is not identified in Maya as Human IK. As for the previous rig I first identified it positioning it as a typos aligning the arms.
I after created a new character definition selecting the rig and identifying the skeleton.
I then created a custom rig mapping selecting the controls and applying after the animation onto it as well, mapping for your character to source animation streaming from MotionBuilder or from a local HumanIK character within Maya
Storyboarding takes place in the initial stages of a Design process/Project Setting in the Industry where initial ideas are developed. The design process in the Industry follows a specific pipeline and meetings with clients are regularly scheduled to update them on the progress made on the project.
Storyboard
In the storyboard may aspects are considered and it is a crucial phase of the project initial ideas. Things such as overall style, the quantity of characters, the environments or even camera angles are decided and considered.
When considering style in a storyboard there could be made choices such as using cartoons or humanoids, to simulate the real world or having an anime environment style even if is going to be a 2D or 3D animation and how the law of physics are applied. However even if the storyboard determines the overall style, the style does not determine the logic of an animation.
In order to work efficiently while creating a storyboard is better working following a hierarchy of elements present within the scene. Time is another important aspect of storyboarding since it can also determine how many frames or how detail you want to show off for a singular action. A possible approach may be the pose to pose where every action and frame are showed.
If there are are dynamic designs this aspect can boost the appeal of the entire stage so storyboarding can help determine the amount of appeal on your stage. Proportion may be useful since it can give emotion and characteristics. Audience is easy to be drawn towards shapes and colours rather that specific details. Storyboards don’t have to be too complicated, good achievements can be obtained with simplicity too: form follows function and function follows forms.
Staging
Staging is one of the 12 principles of animation, when talking about staging we are referring to camera angle and position, timing, acting or even settings. Camera has a role in staging since that it controls the presentation and viewpoint. Different distance and angle of a camera position will have different outcome based on what you wanted to communicate from the protagonist. Screen Space is also an important element to take in consideration since it is where the attention is directed in the scene. Camera distance may also determine different meanings: for characters you can use a code up for facial expression and fa r shot for body gesture; for buildings close ups are used for details and to see properties while far shots for more overall book like a city skyscraper. The camera is not supposed to be positioned away from what is supposed to be focused on unless there is a reason for it. The camera viewpoint must be switched on what you are showing.
Contrast and focal point
Our attention will change if there are distinct difference of colours, animation, scale, size, lighting: we need to consider what to put in the stage, work out the balance and make sure it delivers what you want to show.
Timing: pausing
Sometimes delaying allows audience to absorb and digest what is happening so pausing, slow-paced camera shift are elements to not be discarded.
Acting
Characters’ act and pose will be important to tell the story or the moment: with the correct angle of posing and camera, even stripping all the details and colours, good characteristics can still understand in silhouette shade.
Setting: emotions, characteristic and themes
Every colour indicates a certain state of mind, so they must be used wisely to convey emotions in the scene. Settings and props must reflect the state of mind of the characters they should align with him or her, however over detailing can obscure what’s happening taking out balance to the background. Well planned storyboards will allow you to understand what is needed to be included in the project, what should be prioritised, what is not and how much time you should spend on each element.
After the lecture we were given a chance to create a storyboard for two possible ideas to use and develop as two 3D animation projects for this module. Our professor gave us some guidelines to use to plan them.
Project 1 idea
Intro
Name of the project: Cats’ secret life
What is it?: a short animation film
Narrative
What is the story?: the animation short is going to showcase some habits that a cat does when is home alone without his or her owners with an ironic tone.
What is the event?: the sort is going to start with the owner leaving the house and after there will be showed three actions where the cat would do things he is not supposed to do.
Storyboard:
Project 2 idea
Intro
Name of the project: Fisherman
What is it?: a short animation film
Narrative
What is the story?: A not-so-lucky fisherman is out fishing on his boat, and suddenly something take the bait he is using to fish and he struggles to pick it up because it seems extremely heavy, however it turns out to be a very small fish and he feels disappointed in the end.
What is the event?: A fisherman fishing on his boat trying to catch a big fish, or at leat some fish since he has not been so lucky so far.
Storyboard:
Narrative arc
These are some notes on the lecture we had about story arc in term 1:
to develop the story for these two project I have followed a narrative arc for the path that the story itself follows providing a clear beginning, middle, and end of the story.
Every story has a beginning, middle, and end, with the middle typically taking up a longer period of time than the beginning or the end. Every narrative arc has key points, traditional stories have key plot sections and points that map nicely onto this arc:
Exposition: which introduces the setting, the character and the problems they face. For the “fisherman” project this would be the first few frames where he is out fishing and he is sad because he has not caught any fish yet. for the “cats’ secret life” project the owner of the cat leaves the house and the cat stop pretending to be asleep and shows that he has a plan from his expression.
Rising action: moves the plot forward by showing characters fighting against their problems. For the “Fisherman” project the fisherman realises that something catches the bait and he put so much effort to catch it and do not loose it. In the “cats’ secret life” project the cats is showed in a series of actions that he is not supposed to do but the owner is not at home so he is free.
Climax: tensest moment of the crisis; it describes the moment when the characters face a crisis that controls the rest of the plot. For the “Fisherman” project the fisherman finally catches the catches the fish and falls on the boat. In the “cats’ secret life” project the owner comes back home.
Falling action: which moves the plot from the climax towards an ending. For the “Fisherman” project the fisherman sadly realises that he has only caught a very small fish. In the “cats’ secret life” project the cat realises that the cat is back home and is surprised.
Resolution: brings the story to stability by showing the final results of the climax. For the “Fisherman” project the fisherman leaves the fish free in the water disappointed. In the “cats’ secret life” project the cats goes back pretending he is asleep before the owner notices that he has doing things he should’ve done.
